Cerebral aneurysm and Xanax addiction?

[lillie]

My mom, 54, recently suffered a brain aneurysm. The surgery involved cutting open her head and putting a clamp on the aneurysm. She spent about 12 days in the hospital and about 11 days home so far. She is having no pain from the incision or around her head. She complained of leg pain, which I believe to be muscle soreness, so the doctors checked her for blood clots; she has none. The only pain she now has is the leg pain and hemorrhoids but she cries and moans like she could just die!  She has been very mean to me and yells at me because I won't give her 'pills'. Prior to the aneurysm incident, she had a prescription from her family MD(who will prescribe anything you want!) for Xanax, which she has had for years. She probably took several a day. Her neurosurgeon prescribed Hydrocodone for pain, and Ambien 5mg for sleep. Per her family MD, she has started the Xanax again. She hallucinates, talking to her mom (who passed away 20 years ago), clapping her hands, wailing/crying, going from crying to mad, talking complete nonsense, etc. Could these be symptoms of withdrawal? She asks for Xanax every 20 minutes. We only give her a pill in the morning and one in the evening. I caught her recently sneaking a pill from a hidden stash. I'm sure she is addicted!  
My question: since she has had this cerebral aneurysm and is going through recovery for that, how should we approach the Xanax addiction?  I asked her family MD about her addiction; he said it was impossible.  I think he's a quack and don't want him to have anything to do with her recovery. Her neurosurgeon is 5 hrs away.

[Telby]

I am not a Doctor and I would suggest you keep talking to Doctors until you get answeres - when my Dad was going through simular experiences during cancer it turned out to be a reaction to the morphine he was getting.  I finally called a Hospice nurse who knew much more then the Doctors.  My suggestion, agian I am not a medical person, would be to not worry about the addiction at this point.  Give her what she needs to feel better but be sure she is not so medicated that other symptoms are masked.  Medication has a purpose and it sounds like she does need medication, any addiction problem can be dealt with after she recovers.  I always worry that people needlessly suffer because we are so concerned about chemical dependancy, sometimes we need drugs and it sounds like she is suffering.  I do not recognize what you described as withdrawal symptoms but definatly keep asking Doctors/Nurses what the heck is going on and what the best course of action is.  Please don't deprive her of meds due to concern over addiction - that is my two cents. Telby

[Witchywoman]

Shane??? If you read this, please answer..even if it just to let us know that you are ok, but not feeling up to posting.
Your last post on a lower thread from a few days ago got me worried about you, as you were talking about ending your life.  We haven't heard from you since that post, and that has me worried.  I hope you are ok, and just want you to know I'm thinking about you, and am damn worried. Please, just a  quick little post to let us know you are still with us?

lillie, I'm sorry to hear about your mom's condition. It must be very stressful for both her and you..seeing someone you love in that condition is hard, and being the one responsible for taking care of her must be harder still.
I'm wondering if the surgery may have affected her memory, so that she keeps asking for xanax because she might not remember that you gave her a pill earlier in the day.
Right now, if she is addicted and goes into withdrawals it will most certainly not help her heal from the brain surgery!  Depending on what her dose of the xanax was before the surgery, if her current dose is way lower, she might be in a state of withdrawal.
I don't know a lot about  benzo addiction, but do know that a lot of folks suggest switching to valium to taper, since it has a much longer half life, it stays in the body longer, avoiding the rapid crash that comes from xanax leaving the body much faster.
I think the family doc who said it is impossible that she is addicted to the xanax is full of ****.  It sounds like she very well could be, and that should be determined so she can get on a safe taper schedule.
Also though, there could be sooo much else going on medically due to the brain surgery, pain meds etc...
Even though the neurosurgeon is five hours away, how about giving him a call and explaining what is going on? I really think you need solid medical advice on this.

keep us posted.
love,
WW

[Francoise]

If your mother is addicted to that much Xanax, then you'd better get the amount in her she's addicted to right away. Sudden withdrawal from benzodiazepines like Xanax can cause seizures that can be fatal. Do it now.

Your doctor - the one who said she could not possibly be addicted to Xanax - is fulla ****.

Anyone taking Xanax is asking for it because it has such a short half life in the body and is just that much harder to get off of because of that. I'd get her on Klonopin right away. Then taper off the klonopin, ending up on Valium and then taper off the valium. Xanax can be a killer. See paragraph #1, above.

[Seamstress]

Francoise is absolutely right.  Your mother is addicted to Xanax.  How much is the question?  You cannot rely on the prescribed dose as being the amount she was taking on a daily basis as she may have exceeded that by a lot.  You need to calmly ask her how often and how many pills she takes everyday.  And then you need to give her that amount. Benzodiazapine withdrawl can cause seisures and is potentially lethal.  It can also cause psychosis which could explain how she is acting.  You may be harming her in your effort to help.  Educate yourself.  Use the internet to learn about benzodiazapine addiction.  Then call her doctor and ask him if he can spell lawsuit.  I would think a woman recovering from brain surgery would suffer extreme damage from a seizure.

[allyncay]

I too believe she is most likely addicted...the question is how much a day ??? Some people who abuse xanax, can take an astronomical amount and the amount usually gets larger and larger...You need to try to find out how much she was taking a day...and then contact the physician...My mother is addicted to all kinds of meds including xanax...and when she went through withdrawals..she did experience seizures as well...